Handling Eaglets has been challenging – Amuneke

The 1994 African Footballer of the Year in an interview with CAF’s media unit added that he has his eyes set on the African prize in Niamey come February, adding it is not going to be easy because all the other competing teams are very good.“The qualification means so much to me for obvious reasons. […]

The 1994 African Footballer of the Year in an interview with CAF’s media unit added that he has his eyes set on the African prize in Niamey come February, adding it is not going to be easy because all the other competing teams are very good.
“The qualification means so much to me for obvious reasons. I was an assistant the last time the team qualified for the African U-17 Championship and now as the defending world champions, I have been given the responsibility of handling the team. It has never been easy, coupled with the administrative problems the federation is having. But it is great that we have been able to do this despite the pressure. This team is not the same like last year’s but we are looking to Niger with good possibility. It was a good moment for me that we qualified with the way we did because there were some doubts after we lost 2-1 in Libreville but I’m so glad about the response of the boys in the second leg and we won 5-0,” the former Barcelona player said.
The former Nigeria international who scored his country’s winning goal against Zambia at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia will be hoping to go one better this time around after what happened the last time when the team then under Coach Manu Garba with Amuneke as an assistant, finished runner-up at the continental championship in Morocco on their way to winning a record fourth FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The qualified teams for the Championship billed for February 15 to March 1 are Niger, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa.